Although there is a role for quantifiable, reductionist, “objective” metrics, it is often the things we value most in life─love, justice, beauty, peace, wellness─that cannot be captured or characterized by these types of metrics. So, while it is exciting that the 2021 impact factor for Environmental Science& Technology has increased by ∼26% to 11.357, the true impact of ES&T and our community cannot be fully captured by this reductionist metric. While there are many such metrics (e.g., 2- and 5-year impact factors, total citations) to track, ES&T seeks impact beyond metrics.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Zimmerman et al. (2022) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: